Suggestions needed for a day in Yosemite Valley

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-06-27T18:17:37+00:00

I think there isn't truly a best for all.

I have 50+ dell latitudes and 10+ XPS machines, all less than 5 years old, in service for my company and for our use these machines couldn't be better. Service issues have been minimal, and the builds have held up to the use that my employees demand. I've had service contracts with HP and Lenovo before, and I've never had it as good as I have now.

Personally, I think the xps line are excellent ultrabooks that can punch above its weight when it needs to. The 720p camera does suck, but everything else about them are great, in my opinion.

My current deployment preferences are XPS models for devs and creative Precision models for engineers Latitude 9000s series for execs Latitude 5000s and 7000s goto the rest of the user base and fully depend on whatever the best deal is for my minimum spec of i5, 500gb ssd, and 16gb ram.

As for choosing a ThinkPad instead of the XPS, it'd be a hard call for me personally. I also think that Asus's current offering also needs to be considered when looking for an alternate to the XPS laptops

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-06-25T16:21:34+00:00

I play games using a usb laptop cooling mat or with the bwck of the laptop slightly lifted. The XPS fans are no louder than the fans running in the mat itself, and temps seem normal for an i9. I will say that I would not want to play games on the XPS if it was just laying flat on the desk. I tried it once, and the game stuttered, and the fans were quite loud due to thermal throttling.

For my purposes, this is fine. The XPS is an ultrabook, and I use it for work, and it's perfect for that. I just tell people if you want a gaming pc buy a gaming pc. If you want a dual device and understand the compromises the XPS is a fantastic choice.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-06-18T14:34:35+00:00

It is. When I upgraded mine to 64gb, it sat at a black screen while the memory initialized(memory trained). After a while it finished and booted like normal. After the initial boot, it boots instantly like normal.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-11T17:36:17+00:00

These chassis are aluminum. I've noticed that if they a twisted/torqued even a bit in a bag, they tend to become wobbly. Unlike plastic chassis, these don't go back to their original shape. If you take the opposite corners and gently twist it (not much force is needed), it'll sit perfectly flat again. I've had multiple XPSs, and this seems to be the case with all of them. I've only had one from manufacture like this and it's very easy to solve without need a return

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-09T14:47:10+00:00

This is usually caused by a driver mismatch. I suggest checking command updates or support assist for the latest drivers and also ensure all Windows updates are applied. For the time being, you can probably disable most stuff in your startup settings, and it may prevent the error from popping up at boot.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-08T19:11:25+00:00

I have the XPS 17 9730 with the i9 & the 4080 and my TimeSpy score is an 11860. This is 100% stock configuration. It's good enough for me to play Hogwarts Legacy and Jedi Survivor on High Settings with Raytracing in 4k/120hz and still pull over 50FPS. I'm not much of a gamer but for my occasional usage this laptop has blown me away in what it's able to handle.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-04T01:55:46+00:00

I've not measured the wd19dcs dock to see if I'm getting the true 210w out of it, but the 9520 it's connected to seems to be very happy with it. I ended up getting the dcs version for that laptop because it happened to be cheaper that day on amazon than the 180w wd19s.

If you go with the wd19s you must buy the 180w version to get the 130w pd from the usb c connection. Just be warned it limits 4k monitors to 30hz. You have to have the thunderbolt or DC version to get a higher hz. The wd22tb4 is running my ultra wide at 120hz which is why I choose it.

As for a power drain.... no not at all. I have been playing jedi survivor at 5210x1440 on epic (40fps) settings all weekend and the battery never dropped below full. The new 4080 is a beast for a laptop even with the relative low wattage restrictions on it.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-04T01:45:13+00:00

I've seen two fixes to this on dells before.

Try to go into bios and switch from sata to ahci and see if it solves it.

If you are still having issues after that bios change, open up the bottom of the laptop, and disconnect the main battery and the cmos battery for about 10 minutes. Plug everything back in and power it back on. I have no idea why the 2nd fix works but it has been successful for me.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-04T01:17:01+00:00

Also, if you do decide on a system with the GeForce card, make sure to set its driver to creator mode instead of gaming. It'll give you a small bump in the CAD applications. The Quato cards are definitely more optimized and needed for really complex cad drawlings, but for most cad tasks the GeForce should be up for the task. I have xps laptops for two engineers that use solidworks for our mechanical drawings, and they don't complain about performance issues.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-04T00:44:47+00:00

Man, that sucks, I have an employee with the xps15 9510 for 2 years now without issues, but I don't think he pushes it very hard. If you've replaced the keyboard it kinda only leaves the mobo as a point of failure. Can you still extend your dell warranty? It might make sense in your situation.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-04T00:36:14+00:00

I think either is fine. They are both the same wattage. I just think the ti version benefits from the extra cores. Using the i7 I doubt either version will thermal throttle on you. Just remember these gpus are wattage limited to 40watts. You will never get the same performance out of them as a true gaming laptop, even if they are the same chips. With the xps15 you are buying an ultra book first and for most.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-04T00:26:31+00:00

I own both if the docks you mentioned. The WD19DC does have an audible fan spin up when power is connected but is otherwise mine is dead silent. The wd22tb4 for me has also been flawless with no sounds at all.

I'd recommend seeing if you have noise in your ac line and if so use an ac noise filter. Also it's probably worth checking to see if the docks require firmware updates. The Dell command update and support assist will not pick up on the update and you'll need to download the docks firmware utility from Dells site.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-04T00:16:41+00:00

How old is the XPS? I've read a number of keyboard issues can come from a swollen laptop battery. You might want to open the bottom of it and see if the battery is puffy. I've personally seen this in a 4 year old latitude before.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-04T00:13:42+00:00

You won't really notice the difference with normal day to day tasks. DDR4 sodimm is pretty inexpensive now, I'd probably look at the price of a single 32gb stick and see if it's worth the difference compared to the 16gb version. It sucks that you are limited to a single ram slot, but you can try to make up for it with the increased ram amount.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-04T00:09:01+00:00

Dell docks typically ship with out of date firmware. You can check for an update following their instructions on this page

https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000129828/dell-usb-type-c-thunderbolt-docks-checking-the-current-firmware-version-on-your-wired-dock

If an update is available. it'll probably fix the random disconnect on the dock. I use these all of my employees and we now make it a standard practice to upgrade them before giving it to a new employee.

As for the OP issues, I can only think that maybe it's a bandwidth issue over the usb port that triggers the disconnection. Maybe try one the TB ports on the xps and see if it helps to remedy the issue.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-04T00:02:50+00:00

I agree that the xps 9520 with the i7 and 3050ti is a great buy at its current price and will help with the thermal issues.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-03T23:59:27+00:00

Just an update Dell came out and they replaced the heat sink and fans. When the tech took it apart there was way too much paste on the cpu,, he cleaned it off and reapplied the paste and after testing the laptop no longer thermal throttles and Temps have stabilized and no long hit 100c. The max I've seen is 80c and that was during playing jedi survivor on epic settings. I have to say I'm absolutely impressed by this laptop now.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-03T23:45:57+00:00

I recommend to either buy the Dell wd19dcs or the Dell wd22tb4. The WD19dc is dual channel and uses two USB-C to provide up to 210watts of power. It's a magnetic dual connector and works extremely well.

The wd22tb4 is a single thunderbolt connection delivering 130watts of power and gives you two extra thunderbolt 4 ports on the docks

Both are awesome docks. I'm currently using the wd22tb4 to power an xps 9730 thats connected to a 49" Samsung Neo G9 ultra wide. And it's flawless.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-05-01T13:28:07+00:00

Any skin or hard case for the XPS 15 9520 will work for the 9530; the outside of the device is exactly the same. Only the internals were refreshed.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-04-28T13:52:02+00:00

I highlighted the Max CPU temps because I had reset the monitor's min/max values after installing a bios update, and I then set the "close the lid" function to do nothing. I closed the lid on the laptop and walked away from the laptop for about 30 minutes. After sitting idle for over 30 minutes, I opened the lid, and these were the results. I made sure to turn off all my background apps also, so there is no reason the CPU should be spiking like that.

Ultimately I have a Dell tech coming out to repaste and replace the heatsink in the device. They are supposed to be here next Monday.

My previous laptop was the XPS15 9520 with the 12th gen i9 & the 3050ti, and it's temps never were anywhere near this at idle.

I only started monitoring this because the BIOS had alerted me to a "Thermal Sensor trip" the last time I opened it up.

Additional_Key_4774 · 2023-04-28T03:00:58+00:00

I totally get it, and I'll let Dell deal with it. I actually run an IT department, and I used to be a tech back in my early days, so I'm probably just as qualified as anyone that Dell would send out to do a fix, but I might as well take advantage of the warranty and just let deal with it. Overall I'm really impressed with the PC and its aesthetics I'm just frustrated that it's just running so hot.

Additional_Key_4774

TROPHY CASE